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As more LGBTQ refugees arrive in Edmonton, groups supporting them say government funding is needed

Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers executive director Erick Ambtman is seen last February. Ambtman said he wants the provincial or federal governments to fund more supports for LGBTQ refugees in Edmonton. Ian Kucerak, Postmedia Network

The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers has seen a significant increase in the number of refugee claimants seeking asylum because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, prompting the organization to increase supports for this unique population.

The centre’s executive director, Erick Ambtman, said the increase became apparent about two years ago, but gained momentum after the election in the United States last November.

“There was a tenfold increase after Donald Trump took office,” he said. In the past, EMCN might have encountered one of these cases per month; now the centre sees 10-15. There were 56 of these clients from April until September.

Canada has been a leader in this area, becoming the first country to release gender guidelines in 1993 for refugee claims, but the majority of these refugees have historically come to larger centres — Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Now, Ambtman said, Edmonton is developing a reputation as a safe place to settle.

These refugees have unique needs. They typically arrive alone and are less likely to have support from friends and family. Due to homophobia, many claimants lack a welcoming ethnocultural community upon arrival.

Because of high rents, they must often find roommates or rely on homeless shelters in the short term, where they can be vulnerable to discrimination if their gender identity or sexual orientation is revealed.

According to a 2016 report prepared for EMCN by a medical anthropologist, these newcomers are also more likely to have lower levels of education, work experience and transferable skills (compared to others from their countries) because of discrimination in their homelands.

Realizing these refugees needed more supports, EMCN hired Basel Abou Hamrah to work as the centre’s first LGBTQ settlement practitioner, a position he accepted about a month ago.

There’s a “lack of services” when it comes to providing for this population, Abou Hamrah said. His job is to try to fill some of those gaps. He helps claimants with their applications and with finding housing, medical care and social supports.

He and Buczynski created a discussion group for LGBTQ newcomers that meets every Friday. Both staff members, who have rainbows on their office doors, are trying to build a welcoming and supportive community for this diverse population.

Part of their efforts include partnering with other organizations willing to help.

Heather Razaghi, who chairs the social justice committee at St. Paul’s United Church in Belgravia, has been leading efforts to welcome LGBT newcomers.

Three years ago, the church decided to sponsor two Ugandan refugees through the Rainbow Refugee Society, a Canadian organization that helps groups support LGBTQ refugees. With support from EMCN, the group helped the two men with financial and housing support. Both are now working full-time in other Canadian cities.

Through them, the group met others who had already arrived in Canada. All were alone, some were living in homeless shelters, and some encountered hunger, bed bugs and cockroaches.

They were also hopeful, though, that their lives would be free of fear and, eventually, more peaceful in Canada. The group used money from their sponsorship fund to start supporting these adults and that support has continued. Today, the group supports between five and eight people on an as-needed basis.

“St. Paul’s has embraced LGBTQ refugees because we are among few churches in Edmonton who welcome these people into our community and love them as they are,” Razaghi said.

“They’ve been an amazing and invaluable ally for support,” Buczynski said.

On Sunday afternoon, the church held a lunch and presentation about why so many LGBTQ people have been fleeing Uganda and the challenges they face upon arrival. In many countries, homosexuality is illegal and being “out” is dangerous.

Staff at EMCN say more should be done to ease their transition to Canada. Housing support, income assistance and legal help with navigating the asylum process are three of the biggest needs.

Right now, the funding for ECMN’s LGBTQ settlement practitioner is funded by the Stollery Foundation, but Ambtman said he would like to see a government step up and provide more supports.

“Our ambition is to have this challenge recognized by one of either the federal or provincial governments and then they would be funding supports for this group while they go through the refugee claimant process,” he said.